How to connect to the Net automatically on startup?

Hey everyone. I'm brand new to this forum and I'd very much appreciate it if you could help me solve a minor annoyance.

I'm using Windows 7-32 Bit on my laptop and I have a PPPoE connection to the Internet. Each time I close the lid to put my laptop to sleep, the connection is terminated. This also happens each time I reboot the PC. That is not my problem. However the problem is that I really really want the computer to automatically connect to the Net as soon as I login. I checked out some solutions on Google but all of them had quite similar instructions:

1. Deselect the "Prompt for name and password..." checkbox in the Properties page.
2. Create a shortcut to the connection and place it on the desktop.
3. Open the Startup folder and cut and paste the shortcut there.

These steps unfortunately DO NOT work for me at all. I'm ready to try out any solutions you can offer. I maybe new to this forum but I've been wrangling with PCs for nearly a decade so any solution will be truly appreciated, no matter how advanced.
Is there any way to automatically connect to the Internet on login?
Once again, any help is greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
maligo

I'm not sure why it isn't auto connecting as the following setting is usually default.

Click on the WiFi icon in the system tray - right click on the SSID (which should be showing as Connected) - select Properties and under the Connection tab ensure that the box for Connect automatically when this network is in range is checked - OK.

Thanks again for your reply Sudo15. I apologise for the delay in posting been really busy these past couple of days.
You told to check for a firmware upgrade for my router but as I mentioned already I do not have a router. I tried updating the Ethernet driver but the wizard said I already have the latest drivers. Also I use no Apple software so Bonjour isn't installed on my PC. I am the only user on my laptop and I do have a password login.

However, I found a solution online on creating a new task in Task Scheduler by initiating a program called "rasphone" on every login but the instructions were not quite clear. Do you have any idea on how I can create these task? And what are the necessary parameters required?

I don't know the program and I've never used the Task Scheduler so I won't BS.

The Wired AutoConfig service is usually default set to Manual but as you are only using Ethernet then go Start - type services.msc - press enter then scroll down to Wired AutoConfig - right click on it and select Properties.

Use the dropdown to change it to Automatic then click on the Start button - Apply - OK - use File to exit Services then reboot to see if that auto connects you.

Edited - forgot the Apply button bit.

If you used Device Manager to check for the driver update, Windows rarely has the latest drivers and you are better off going to the driver manufacturer's site for that.

Nope that didn't seem to work either. However I did some digging around and came across a KB article from Microsoft that showed me how to connect to the Net through the "rasphone" app. I tried creating a task in Task Scheduler that enabled rasphone.exe on startup. Added a parameter and lo and behold it worked! Problem solved!
Thank you for all your help Sudo15. Really appreciate it.

It's actually an article on how to establish a dial-up connection through the Command Prompt but I used the necessary parameter (that is the "-d" parameter, no quotes, followed by a space and then the name of the connection) to set up a task in Task Scheduler. Hope it helps someone in the future.

Thanks for the prompt reply Sudo15
I'm sorry if I wasn't clear in my original post but I do not connect through a router. The cable plugs directly into my Ethernet port.

This might be the cause of the confusion, "...cable plugs directly into my Ethernet port".

According to your #9 2014-06-27 22:17 post you are using a dial-up connection, in which case the "cable" you are using is not an Ethernet cable, is not plugged into an Ethernet port but must be a telephone line plugged into a modem port.

"Ethernet" is "Local Area Network (LAN)" not dial-up - updating your ethernet adapter's driver would have no effect on your computer's dial-up modem driver because they are two entirely different technologies (even though the external "ports" [better "sockets"] might look similar [the ethernet socket is wider that the dial-up modem socket and has more contacts in it]; an ethernet cable will not fit into a dial-up modem socket, and if a telephone cable is inserted to an ethernet socket it will probably cause a short-circuit).

However, thought comes to mind that since you don't seem to know the difference between a telephone cable and an ethernet cable, chances are you don't know what a "router" is either?

As a professional computer consultant/technichian I have to comment that it is at least three years since a customer asked me to help them with their dial-up Internet connection, and in that case the problem was that the customer could not understand the "easy setup" instructions their ISP had sent out with their kit to upgrade to ADSL.

If you really are still using a dial-up connection I would seriously suggest it is time you upgraded to some form of broadband (ADSL or fibre-optic cable) - there is a huge difference in terms of speed, but not such a huge difference in terms of cost.

Uh, Coochin I have already stated in Post #7 that I have SOLVED the problem.

Originally Posted by Coochin

However, thought comes to mind that since you don't seem to know the difference between a telephone cable and an ethernet cable, chances are you don't know what a "router" is either?

Wow, okay that came off as a bit condescending. I know that the Ethernet port (aka RJ-45 port) receptacle is around 25% wider that a dial-up one and last time I checked, dial-up connections do not deliver speeds ranging between 20-25 MBPS. If you don't believe me, I can post a screenshot of my speed as tested by DSLReports or Speakeasy. Why I'll even post a pic of my Ethernet port. I can assure you that I have a broadband connection, but the only issue I had with it was I was unable to connect to it automatically, had to manually connect. Now I have solved the problem. And though that link was for establishing a dial-up connection I figured that it can be used to establish any connection, no matter the type. And I was right.

P.S: If you STILL don't believe me, my offer to post the above mentioned pics still stand.

"MBPS" is technically silly. The "M" stands for "Mega" (one million). The "B" would be generally understood to mean "Bytes"; however network data-transfer speed is measured in terms of "bits", not "bytes", so the "b" is always lowercase (as are the "p" and "s" ("per second").

Hence back in the days of dial-up we would expect average connection speeds around 5-8Kbps (5,000 to 8,000 bits per second. When I first upgraded to ADSL in 2003 my connection's (rated) speed was 128Kbps; now in 2014 it is (actual) about 6Mbps (or 6000Kbps).

In your #1 post you say "I have a PPPoE connection to the Internet" ("PPPoE" means "Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet"), consequently there must be a router somewhere between your computer and whatever telephone line (ADSL) or fibre-optic cable connection to your Internet Service Provider's servers. Yet in your #3 post you say "...I do not connect through a router..."???

A "router" is a network computer that directs network traffic to requested destinations. A "modem" is a fairly dumb device that basically just dials a telephone number (dial-up modems, FAX machines, EFTPOS terminals, etc). Many people mistakenly call their ADSL or cable router a "modem", which often causes confusion.

Some ADSL routers, especially older ones, have settings in their configuration pages such as "Connect on demand" and/or "Disconnect after (user-specified time) of inactivity". These would often cause the kind of connection problem you had.

In your #1 post you say "I have a PPPoE connection to the Internet" ("PPPoE" means "Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet"), consequently there must be a router somewhere between your computer and whatever telephone line (ADSL) or fibre-optic cable connection to your Internet Service Provider's servers. Yet in your #3 post you say "...I do not connect through a router..."???

>>>snip<<<

A "router" is a network computer that directs network traffic to requested destinations. A "modem" is a fairly dumb device that basically just dials a telephone number (dial-up modems, FAX machines, EFTPOS terminals, etc). Many people mistakenly call their ADSL or cable router a "modem", which often causes confusion.

Your information is incorrect.

Don't confuse "router" for "DSL modem". And a "router" is not necessarily a "network computer", although it can be. Even though many ISP's have transitioned to Modem/Router combined hardware, not all have, and some that have, only supply the Modem/Router to new customers. Existing customers with the modem-only piece of hardware won't get upgraded until their existing hardware fails and has to be replaced. Also, a DSL modem does not "dial a number", it maintains a continuous direct connection with its counterpart at the telephone switching exchange.

I'm still using my DSL modem (well over 6 years old), connected to my router, through which I connect the rest of my home network. On those occasions when I have trouble with my DSL connection and call tech support, after they have pulled up my account information one of their first instructions is to bypass my router and connect my PC directly into the DSL modem (not unlike the connection maligo uses).

In this photo you can clearly see my Netgear router on a shelf above my PC, and my DSL modem on top of the PC case.

Create a new drive image before making system changes, in case you need to start over!

"Let them that don't want it have memories of not gettin' any." "Gratitude is riches and complaint is poverty and the worst I ever had was wonderful." Brother Dave Gardner "Experience is what you get when you're looking for something else." Sir Thomas Robert Deware. "The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Savvy?" Captain Jack Sparrow. Unleash Windows

is also technically quite wrong. In computing/networking contexts a router is a specialised computer that directs network traffic to requested destinations. If you want to argue with me on these points I suggest you should first research the questions to establish just what the facts are.

I refuse to argue the point with you - I have a University degree in Information Systems, have worked as a web programmer for several years, and have been working full-time as a computer consultant/technician for the past 15+ years - who are you, and what authority do you have for your claims?

Just because tech support personnel bow to your misconception that your ADSL router is a "modem" does not mean it is anything else but a router (which it definitely is). Again, do your research and get your facts straight.

A fellow I know also has a University degree in Information Systems but can't figure out how to get image files from a Thumb/Flash drive into the proper subFolder of a program so as to print a photo directory of members [a two minute fix].